Ceasefire to begin in Israel-Hezbollah war

In this file photo taken on July 25, 2024 US President Joe Biden (R) shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC. FILE PHOTO/Agence France-Presse

JERUSALEM — US President Joe Biden said a Lebanon truce would take effect early Wednesday, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a ceasefire with Hezbollah would allow Israel to focus its attention on Hamas and arch-enemy Iran.

The ceasefire will begin at 4:00 am local time (0200 GMT), Biden said, speaking at the White House after Netanyahu’s office said his ministers had approved the deal.

Ten ministers voted in favor and one against, the Israeli premier’s office said.

READ: Netanyahu says he supports proposed ceasefire with Hezbollah

The United States is Israel’s key ally and military backer, and Biden hailed the deal as “good news” and a “new start” for Lebanon.

Netanyahu thanked Biden for his “involvement” in brokering the deal.

The United States, European Union, United Nations and G7 had all pushed for a halt in the fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah after more than a year of violence.

Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron said the ceasefire would protect Israel from Hezbollah and create the conditions for a “lasting calm”.

READ: Israel to decide on ceasefire as US says deal ‘close’

The United States and France will ensure the deal is “fully implemented”, a joint statement said.

In a televised address ahead of his security cabinet vote, Netanyahu said: “The length of the ceasefire depends on what happens in Lebanon.”

The announcement followed the heaviest day of raids on Beirut — including a series of strikes in the city’s center — since Israel stepped up its air campaign in Lebanon in late September before sending in ground troops.

The raids continued after Netanyahu’s address, with the central commercial district of Hamra coming under attack.

Hezbollah, which has yet to make an official statement on the truce, claimed responsibility for attacks on northern Israel after the agreement was announced.

The armed group has suffered staggering losses in recent weeks, including the death in an air strike of its leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Hezbollah did not participate directly in the talks for the truce, with Lebanese parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri mediating on its behalf.

‘Permanent cessation of hostilities’

Pressure for Israel to accept a deal had been steadily mounting, with G7 foreign ministers on Tuesday calling for an “immediate ceasefire”.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, after demanding that the international community “act swiftly” to ensure the truce’s implementation, said he was committed to strengthening the presence of the army in south Lebanon.

Hezbollah was the only armed group that refused to surrender its weapons after the 1975-1990 Lebanese civil war ended.

To date, the armed group has maintained a stronger presence in south Lebanon than the national army has.

Biden said the ceasefire deal was designed to be a “permanent cessation of hostilities” between Israel and Hezbollah.

Under the agreement, the Lebanese army would take control of the border area on their side and “what is left of Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations will not be allowed… to threaten the security of Israel again”, he said.

READ: Israel, Hezbollah in heavy exchanges of fire despite EU ceasefire call

Netanyahu said in his speech that Israel would maintain “full” freedom to act, even after the ceasefire.

He said a truce would permit Israel to redirect its efforts back to Gaza, where it has been at war with Hezbollah ally Hamas since October of last year.

“When Hezbollah is out of the picture, Hamas is left alone in the fight. Our pressure on it will intensify,” he said.

The agreement would also enable “focusing on the Iranian threat” and give Israel’s military time to resupply, he said.

Iran is the main backer of both Hezbollah and Hamas, as well as other regional proxies that profess to be at war with Israel.

Iran itself has fired two barrages of missiles and drones at Israel since the Gaza war began, most of which were intercepted by Israel or its allies.

A ceasefire has faced some opposition from within Netanyahu’s own coalition, with far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir saying it would be a “historic missed opportunity to eradicate Hezbollah”.

The results of a poll by Israel’s Channel 12 showed that based on their understanding of the ceasefire proposal, 37 percent of Israelis support the deal, 32 percent oppose it and 31 percent said they were unsure.

‘Belt of fire’

Netanyahu’s announcement followed a flurry of strikes on central Beirut as well as on Hezbollah’s bastion in the southern suburbs.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that three strikes hit the central Nweiri neighborhood and destroyed a “four-story building housing displaced people”.

The health ministry said the first strike killed seven people and wounded 37.

READ: Lebanon accuses Israel of rejecting truce after Beirut strikes

“We were blown away and the walls fell on top of us,” said Rola Jaafar, who lives in the building opposite.

The NNA said Israeli strikes had created “a belt of fire” Tuesday around Beirut’s southern suburbs.

The Israeli military said it had attacked Hezbollah targets in Beirut, including “components of Hezbollah’s financial system”, as well as many others in south Lebanon.

Its troops had also “engaged in close-quarters combat with terrorists” and destroyed hidden weapons caches during raids in the Litani River region near the border.

‘Serious mistake’

Hezbollah said it was acting in support of Hamas when it began firing into Israel after the October 7, 2023 attack that sparked the war in Gaza.

Lebanon says at least 3,823 people have been killed in the country since October 2023, most of them in the past several weeks.

On the Israeli side, the hostilities with Hezbollah have killed at least 82 soldiers and 47 civilians, authorities say.

The initial exchanges forced tens of thousands of Israelis from their homes, and Israeli officials have said they are fighting so they can return safely.

Some northern residents questioned whether that would be possible under a ceasefire.

“In my opinion, it would be a serious mistake to sign an agreement as long as Hezbollah has not been completely eliminated,” said Maryam Younnes, 29, a student from Maalot-Tarshiha.

Sustained efforts this year by mediators to secure a truce and hostage-release deal in the Gaza war have failed.

But US Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested that a Lebanon ceasefire could change that, telling reporters that “by de-escalating tensions in the region, it can also help us to end the conflict in Gaza”.

Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel last year resulted in the deaths of 1,207 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed 44,249 people in Gaza, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.